Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has promised to bring transformational change to a department mired in bureaucratic malaise. But with a claims backlog of six months and more veterans joining the rolls each day, can he deliver?

Shinseki and President Barack Obama want to better position the VA to accommodate the rapidly growing contingent of veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But well into its first three months, the administration has put in place only a handful of top officials, leaving Congress and veterans service organizations to wonder whether the new team can meet its lofty goals.

Gold Medal Performance

Obama’s budget proposal, released in February, increases Veterans Affairs’ allocation by 15 percent over last year — a move that scored major points with veterans advocates.

Obama’s budget also pledges to increase spending on veterans by $25 billion over five years.

“It’s the first time the administration’s request exceeded the independent budget” put together by veterans organizations, said Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

But the details of the long-term funding increase are still hazy.

Worst Train Wreck

The good vibes generated by the budget increase were shaken by an Obama team proposal to charge veterans’ private health care policies for service-related injuries.

“That was just a flat-out bad move,” said Joseph Violante, legislative director of Disabled American Veterans.

Veterans service organizations quickly objected, conducting meetings at the White House until Obama agreed to back off the policy.

Some veterans are still simmering over that proposal and wondering what other surprises might be lurking.

Sea Change

Those observing Veterans Affairs say the most important recent change has been the man at the helm.

As the Army’s former chief of staff, Shinseki spearheaded the transformation of a branch of the military seen as very set in its ways. More important, as a Vietnam vet who was injured in combat, Shinseki can empathize with those whose interests his agency serves.

That sensitivity and Shinseki’s experience with the Army, sources said, make the retired general more likely to be able to carry out the ambitious agenda he’s laid out.

Elephant in the Room

Like a mountain of paper rising from a cluttered desk, a monumental backlog of health care claims puts Veterans Affairs in a game of catch-up. Filner’s hoping the new administration will eventually tackle the challenge of dealing with the claims in a timely fashion. It’s not impossible, the congressman said, pointing to the Internal Revenue Service as a model. He noted that while the IRS once had a reputation for being a dysfunctional bureaucracy, taxpayers can now expect refund checks within three weeks of filing their returns.

Biggest Food Fight

Meanwhile, a fight over a right-to-bear-arms issue threatens to resurface.

At the end of last year, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) attached the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act to a veterans health care bill, effectively killing legislation that included benefits for female vets and vets suffering from traumatic brain injury. Burr’s initiative aims to overturn a policy blocking gun purchases for veterans who can’t manage their finances.

But the proposal is highly controversial, and congressional aides point to it as one of the major battles on the horizon.